


Your Silver Pocketwatch Isn't Always Wanted

by Artasaweapon



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Angst, Blood and Injury, Dad!Roy, Gen, Kidnapping, Kinda, Whump, and gets called tiny, ed gets his ass kicked, not a regular case fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-08
Updated: 2020-10-08
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:13:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,214
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26888689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Artasaweapon/pseuds/Artasaweapon
Summary: Ed's on his way to meet Colonel Mustang, following a lead on the Philosopher's stone in South City. He never makes it. Someone intends to kill Colonel Mustang, and they're gonna use the Fullmetal Alchemist to draw Mustang into a trap.
Comments: 5
Kudos: 129





	Your Silver Pocketwatch Isn't Always Wanted

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this in like three days, it isn't edited or beta read. I hope ya'll like it.

It was another bad dream. That’s what woke him up. For a moment, panic clutched Ed’s chest as he struggled to remember where he was, and why he was moving, and why everything hurt so bad. Then he realized he was on the train, on his way to meet Mustang and Al. Something about a lead in one of the cases Mustang had been working.

“You alright lad?” Someone asked him. The man was decently elderly, and looked like he genuinely was concerned, so Ed figured his usual angry snapping would probably not be responded to well.

“I’m fine, thanks.” Ed said darkly. All the sudden, the train felt too damn small, and he needed off _now_. “When’s our next stop?” He asked, as lightly as he could.

“Five minutes, kid.” Someone else responded.

Ed leaned back, readjusting the sling that held his left arm. It had come from a pissed off smuggler who apparently was rather annoyed that a fifteen-year-old busted the entire ring. The smuggler had brought the building down on top of him, and lit the whole thing on fire. On top of the shoulder, his side had been torn up and burned, and it was hard to move. The train slowed, and Ed stood, gritting his teeth against the pain. He made his way off the train, intent on finding food.

“Do you have parents with you?” Someone asked in a soft West Amestrian accent.

“No.” Ed said shortly. He was already tired of unsolicited questions from random people.

“It’s rather dangerous around here for kids like you at the moment.”

“It’s always dangerous, ma’am.” Ed said in a tone that he hoped would get the woman off his back.

“We’ve had kids disappearing, and I don’t want to see another.”

“I can take care of myself, ma’am.” Ed said forcefully.

“Now how can a little guy like you—”

“Don’t call me little, you old bitty!” Ed snapped. He felt a little bad, but the lady was getting on his nerves, and his side was starting to ache.

“Now, now, all I’m saying is you need someone to watch your back.”

Ed didn’t respond, and moved past her.

“Insolent brat.” Ed heard the woman murmur.

He didn’t think much of it, a lot of people thought he was insolent. But kids disappearing? Why hadn’t the military done anything about it? Ed shook his head. He was _on_ a mission. He didn’t have time for some missing kid case. He’d tell Mustang about it when he got to South City. The HQ there would send a couple soldiers, maybe a State Alchemist or two, and it’d be dealt with.

Lost in his thoughts as he was, he didn’t notice his surroundings until someone slammed into his shoulder. “Hey!” He snapped. “Watch it!”

“Look who’s talking! Find anything interesting on the ground?”

“Whatever.” Ed shrugged and moved away, and he could feel the guy’s eyes boring into his back. This was by far the most eventful walk down a main street he had ever taken. Finally he made it to the closest place selling food, and all but collapsed at a table.

  


Ed sat back. That was exactly what he needed. Now to find some information. His train wasn’t due for another six hours, so Ed figured he should investigate. He walked up to the bar and waited.

“No matter what I.D you give me you are _not_ old enough to have alcohol.” The bartender said.

“Not looking for that.” Ed said. “I need information.”

He laughed. “For what, your math homework?”

“On the recent kidnappings here.”

“What are you, a cop?” Ed carefully fished his pocketwatch from his jacket and laid it on the bar without a word. The bartender stared at it. “There is no way you’re a State Alchemist. The youngest State Alchemist is the Fullmetal Al… Oh.”

Ed nodded along with his realization. “What can you tell me about the kidnappings?” He asked, and the bartender leaned on his elbows.

“Most of the kids are nine to fifteen or sixteen. All taken from the streets and playgrounds. One second they’re there, and the next they’re gone.”

“How many so far?”

“Fourteen.”

Ed’s jaw dropped. “Fourteen?”

“Yeah.”

“How have the military not been alerted?”

“They were all taken in the last week. There hasn’t been enough time for anything to happen.”

“Thanks. I’ll deal with it and find the kids.”

“Look kid, be careful. You’re exactly their type.”

“If they try anything, they’ll find I’m not quite the type they like.” Ed growled. He stood and turned, dropping a few coins on the counter and walking out. The gathering darkness made every corner look sinister, and with a kidnapper on the loose, Ed wasn’t sure he wanted to be out at night. Sure he could handle anything a couple of thugs would throw at him, but being out at night like that gave him the chills. It didn’t help that someone screamed down an alley. Ed froze. What if it was happening now, and he was just standing there? Ed put his hands together and got ready to transmute. He sprinted down the alley and prepared for a fight.

There was nothing but a dead end.

Ed checked the alley behind him. _It’s just your nerves_. He told himself. _You’re paranoid because of all this crap_. Slowly, he let the energy drain away and turned to go. That was his mistake. Something swung into his automail shoulder, slamming the other one into the alley wall. Ed gasped at the pain flaring in his already injured shoulder, already trying to get back on his feet.

“Don’t move.”

Ed glanced up, and straight into the barrel of a gun. “So you’re the kidnapper, I assume?” Ed said slowly, straightening up.

“What’s it to you?”

“You know why.”

The guy smirked. “Yeah. You’re a State Alchemist. Not quite the military we were hoping to get the attention of. But you’re the _Fullmetal_ Alchemist, aren’t you? That means Colonel Mustang is your superior. He’s the attention we’re trying to catch. And you seem like the one for the job.”

_Oh I am so fucked._ Ed thought. He paused for a half a second before grabbing the guys wrist and dragging him forward, slamming his hand against the wall. Ed backed off and clapped, drawing on alchemy. He slammed his hands on the ground and trapped the guy in the rock below him. There was a bang, and along with it, blinding pain in his shoulder.

“I told you not to move. And this time I’ll kill the kid.”

_Kid?_ Ed tried to stand, but the click of a gun stopped him. He pressed his hand over his shoulder, trying to stem the bleeding. For a brief moment he wondered what would happen if too much blood got into his automail… He looked up and a second person stood next to the first, now free and holding his gun against a young kid’s head, probably ten or eleven. “Let him go.” Ed snarled.

“Come with us peacefully and I just might.”

Ed took a slow breath. If he tried to fight, the kid would die, and he was already injured, so he’d be screwed anyway. “You bastards!” Al might be rubbing off on him. Ed wasn’t exactly known for thinking before jumping into a fight. Ed relaxed. “Fine.” He growled. As if that were a signal, a car slowed by the alley, and the two people directed Ed inside. Making sure they knew he wasn’t happy about it, Ed followed the guy with the kid into the car, carefully not using his injured arm. The other one forced him over, trapping him between the two men.

“Mustang won’t come you know.” Ed said matter-of-factly. “He knows I’ll kick your asses.”

“Yeah, sure kid.”

“Has the message been sent?”

“Yep. We sent a messenger to East City and Mustang will know within the day.”

“Wow, you guys really are just dumb as shit, huh.”

“Hey watch who you’re callin—”

“Mustang’s not _in_ East City. He’s on a case in South City. I was on my way down there when you bastards stepped in.”

“Is he expecting you?”

Ed knew where that was going. “Not telling _you_.”

The man to his left slammed his hand into Ed’s injured shoulder and Ed cried out. “Come on, tell us kid.” The man coaxed, all while digging his thumb into the bullet hole. Ed flinched away, thinking fast, the pain coming in new waves. If he told them Mustang and Al were expecting him, they would prepare for them to come and get him. If he didn’t, they would send a message, and the same thing would happen. If he couldn’t figure out a way to keep Mustang in East City, he would come here, and probably get killed. If the outcome was the same no matter what he did… “No. He’s not.” Ed said finally.

“Took you long enough.”

“So.” Ed said casually, trying to ignore how much he hurt. “Who hired you idiots anyway?”

“No one that matters to you.”

“Was it someone in the military? Lotsa people don’t like the Colonel ‘cause he’s pretty damn young. Pretty damn stupid to though so I honestly don’t know how—”

“Shut up, kid. We don’t actually _need_ you alive to get the Colonel here. Talk again and I’ll put a bullet through your head.”

“Yeah, whatever.”

After twenty more minutes of driving, they finally stopped at a cabin, complete with a workshop to the left. _That must be where the kids are being held._ If he could just transmute without them noticing…

“Get out.” The order came sharply.

Ed was never to great at following orders, and he hung back, trying to figure out a plan. One arm reached in and grabbed the front of his coat to drag him to the ground outside. Ed gritted his teeth and tried to make his way to his feet.

“Let them go. All of them.”

“Ha! And why should we?”

“You said you only needed me to get Mustang here, right? So let them go!”

“Alright, fine. Let the kids out. Let ‘em loose in the forest.”

“Hey, wait! They’re kids! You can’t just leave ‘em in a forest!”

“You wanted us to let them go, we’re letting them go.”

Ed growled again. _It’s better than nothing._ One opened the workshop door and yelled at those inside to run, and none of them hesitated. A few of them cast glances at Ed, and he must have been quite a sight. He was about most of their ages, with one arm in a sling and covered in blood.

“Go!” One man snapped, and shoved Ed forward, which hurt his shoulder and his side, which so far he hadn’t been feeling, what with all the adrenaline in his system. There were chains already in there, which Ed thought was not great. They pulled his hands apart and left him there to try to get comfortable. His shoulder was on fire, and he didn’t think that there was an exit wound, which meant that the bullet was still in his shoulder. Based on what he could tell, he had at least three days to stew before he had any hope of rescue, which obviously, definitely could not happen. Ed had to get out before then. He had to warn Mustang. He had to… All the sudden, everything felt heavy and Ed’s vision went black.

  


“We expected him yesterday evening.” Hawkeye shut the door behind her as she spoke. “We gave him ‘til this morning, but he didn’t show up on the seven, ten or twelve o’clock train.”

“Hawkeye, that kid doesn’t even wake _up_ before twelve.” Mustang said, leaning on his desk.

Both Mustang and Hawkeye both knew that in reality, Ed woke up ridiculously early, and the amount of times he fell asleep while working would make anyone think that he had stayed up all night, which of course, he had.

“Maybe so, Colonel. But it’s not like him to be late like this.”

“He doesn’t turn in his reports until at least a week after he’s supposed to.” Mustang reasoned.

“Yeah but when he’s supposed to be somewhere, he is.” Hawkeye stopped. “Colonel…” she started. “There’s a town, just north of here… 14 children’ve been kidnapped since last Wednesday.”

“And you think Fullmetal’s been what, kidnapped? He’s a State Alchemist. You and I have seen him take down like eight guys at once.”

The door opened and someone stepped in, one of the lieutenants stationed in South HQ. “Colonel Mustang. There’s a message for you.”

“From who?”

The lieutenant peered at the paper. “Uh, Fullmetal.”

Mustang looked pointedly at Hawkeye, then held his hand out for the note. Hawkeye watched Mustang’s facial expressions, which finally ended in defeat, annoyance and Mustang’s head on the desk.

“What was that about, sir?”

“That north city you were talking about? Apparently Fullmetal stopped there, and got himself shot and kidnapped.”

“ _Shot_?” Hawkeye was barely able to keep up her professional mask. “Is he alive?”

“According to this, yes. I can’t believe you were right.”

Hawkeye rolled her eyes. “What are we gonna tell Al?”

“We’re gonna need his help.” Mustang said. “Send a message back to Lieutenant General Caine that I was called away on a mission, that I apologize and I’ll be back in about a week.”

“Yes sir.” The lieutenant left the room and Mustang turned to Hawkeye. “You know it’s a trap, right?”

“Obviously.”

  


Ed woke up to his flesh arm completely numb. He got his feet under him and checked out his situation. It was basically they same. He was still chained to the wall, and still alone. Ed looked closer at his right wrist, and a spark of hope came with the realization that he could see alchemy stress marks. Ed yanked at them hard, and he thought he could feel them creak. He did it again and again until finally it snapped and left his right hand free. His right arm wasn’t technically stronger than his left, but he couldn’t feel it when he tore skin off pulling them out of cuffs. Partly because there was no skin to tear off. But the problem was how he was supposed to get the other wrist free. He had no strength in his destroyed shoulder, and he couldn’t just break it with his automail arm.

Transmutation. Goddamn he was stupid. He put his hands together and touched the cuff, and it fell away. Ed dropped back against the wall, exhausted. “Okay, now I just gotta get out.” Ed forced himself to stand and staggered to the door. Just his luck it was locked. He transmuted the door and broke it open, stepping outside.

“Hey!” Ed tensed, ready to fight, but the voice was a kid. One of the kids he had gotten released. “You’re Mr. Fullmetal, right?” Then he realized that it was the kid from the alley.

“The State Alchemist’s escaped!”

“The kids we let go are helping him!”

“You guys go!” Ed yelled. He realized that there was more than the kid from the alley, there were a few more, two of them looking to be about Al’s age. Most ran, but two of the oldest stepped up next to him.

“Do either of you understand the difference between brave and stupid?” Ed snapped. “This is the stupid.”

“You saved us, now we’re returning the favor.” One responded.

“Well yeah but—” A shot sounded and Ed moved his arm before he even realized it did, and the bullet was deflected off his automail into the ground. Even Ed was surprised. He clapped and transmuted the ground to send the attackers flying. Then _he_ was in the air, and it took him a second to realize what happened. The alchemy stress marks. Ed couldn’t believe he hadn’t realized it before. They had an alchemist.

Then he hit the ground, and the wind was torn out of his lungs. He gasped for air, trying to force his lungs to inflate. Ed struggled to his feet, and realized that there was one with a crowbar coming at him. Ed took the first blow on his automail, and he silently thanked Winry for her incredible craftmanship. He backed up at the second and third swings, and leapt up and over the guy’s head, landing behind him and landing a hard punch to the middle of his spine.

With the extra time, Ed glanced back up at the two teenagers. They were holding their own decently well, but Ed transmuted and sent a wall between the teens and their attackers. Then he heard steps behind him and turned, yet again deflecting the crowbar. Ed stumbled back and took off running, back toward the two kids who tried to save his life. “You two better run.” He snapped. “I’ll finish this.” He transmuted the plate on his automail into a blade, and got ready to fight.

The guy with the crowbar ran forward, and swung at one of the teens, and Ed kicked it out of its path. Naturally, _that’s_ when they decided to run. Ed was going to make sure they made it. Crowbar guy recovered quickly and stabbed forward. Ed was caught by surprise and couldn’t block it in time, and it sank into his stomach. For a moment, it just felt like he had lost his breath. Then blood soaked his jacket and coat. The guy pulled the crowbar out, and Ed fell, landing hard on his back. “Grab him!” Ed felt a couple of pairs of hands on his shoulders, the pain in his injured one spiking. Everything hurt so much that he wasn’t even sure where he was injured anymore.

“What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to keep from trying to escape again.”

Ed kicked out at him, and caught his shoulder, but one of the guys behind him hit him hard in the face, and the world spun. Dazed, Ed could do nothing but watch as the man tore up his automail arm, flinching as he grabbed a fistful of wires and pipes and yanked them out, discarding them on the ground. It didn’t exactly hurt to have your automail ripped up, not in the classic “pain” way. But Ed could feel it, and it did _not_ feel good.

When they dragged him up, his arm felt lighter than normal. In fact, his head did too. They dragged him back into the shop and the alchemist fixed the chains on the wall. They only tied his flesh arm this time, which allowed him to sink down to the floor, a welcome relief. He still had his right arm, but it was so badly damaged there was no way he could lift it to transmute. He had hoped to escape, but that didn’t look like it was going to happen. Ed tried to remember how he had gotten into this situation, but most of the last two—or was it three—days escaped him. He just hoped Mustang wasn’t stupid enough to actually come after him, when it was _so_ obviously a trap.

  


“This is the place?” Hawkeye asked.

“Yeah.” Mustang tightened his glove on his hand and stared up the hill. “I’ll find Fullmetal. You find any other kids that might be here. Alphonse, go with the Lieutenant.”

“But my brother—”

“Will be fine without you. Go with Hawkeye.”

Mustang walked up the slope, ready to spit fire at anything. There was a cabin a few hundred feet away, and to his right there was what looked like some sort of barn or woodshop or something. “I’ll get the barn first.” He called back. “Be on guard.”

The barn door was completely destroyed, by alchemy, it looked like, and Mustang had a shadow of a doubt that Fullmetal was even here. Then he opened the door, accidentally destroying it even further, and there he was, blond hair dirty and sticky, eyes closed, and _covered_ in blood.

“Fullmetal!” Mustang yelled. Panic clutched at his throat when he couldn’t see Ed breathing.

His eyes fluttered at Mustang’s voice, but other than that he didn’t move. “Wake up!” For a moment, Mustang wondered why he hadn’t used alchemy to escape, then realized that he had, and his automail was destroyed for it. “This does not look like they just shot you, kid.” Mustang took a breath and shook Ed hard. The effect was immediate, and the kid practically screamed, his voice breaking, and he jerked away from Mustang. But it woke him up.

“The hell was that for—Mustang?”

“Mornin’ Fullmetal.”

“I have to warn you. I have to warn you—”

“Be quiet.”

“No! You have to know—” Ed used the chain to sit up against the wall. “This was a trap—it’s for you they want to kill you.”

“Obviously.”

That stunned him into silence. Finally. “Where are you injured?”

“I think… I think my shoulder and my stomach. Who knew you could stab someone with a crowbar?” Ed’s voice was barely a whisper.

“Great. That’s—That’s great.” Mustang left Ed to his own devices while he inspected the chain holding him up. It was solid, and was gonna take more than a hit or two to break them. He pulled his stubby chalk out of his pocket and drew the smallest transmutation circle he’d ever had the displeasure to draw. The chains broke with a snap, and Ed slumped completely to the floor.

“So. Our little plan worked.”

Mustang turned and found himself face to face with two people. One holding a crowbar crusted with dried blood, and the other empty-handed. “You kidnapped and injured my subordinate. You are under arrest.”

“And _you’re_ slated for execution.”

“Colonel.” Ed said quietly. “They’re gonna kill you.”

“I’d _love_ to see them try, Fullmetal.” In another second, a column of flame lit up the barn, and the heat made Ed’s face feel warm.

Ed watched as Mustang stood over him, keeping the flames going longer than Ed thought possible. Granted, the entire world felt like it was moving slowly, so it probably wasn’t that long. The alchemist across from Mustang clapped, and put his hands on the ground. Ed sucked in a breath. No transmutation circle.

“Well, well, well. You’ve preformed human transmutation.”

“You can recognize it? It’s the last thing you’ll ever see.” The man sent a spike toward Mustang, but Ed had already closed a circle himself, bringing his flesh arm against his destroyed automail. A shield sprang up in front of Mustang as he threw his arms up in front of him. The spike smashed against the wall and Mustang looked back up, a little dumbfounded that he was still alive.

“Ed?”

“Don’t die Colonel. If you do, I will too, and I like being alive.” Ed groaned, trying to get up. The world spun wildly and Ed collapsed against the wall.

“Stay _down_ , Fullmetal!” Colonel snapped. He sent another wave of fire at them, and crowbar guys screamed and dropped his weapon.

The other one just transmuted again, and backflipped out of the way.

“Don’t move!” That was a woman’s voice.

_Hawkeye._

The guy who originally had the crowbar stopped, and the alchemist paused, before continuing to come after Mustang. Two shots later, and the Alchemist was on the ground.

“Arrest these idiots.” Mustang snapped. “I’ve got to get Fullmetal to a hospital.”

“Yes sir.”

“Where’s Al?” Ed asked as Mustang grabbed him arm and dragged it over his shoulder.

“Hawkeye I got the other guy—Brother!”

“He’s gonna be fine, help Hawkeye!”

That was the last thing Ed remembered.

  


The hospital was painfully bright when he woke up. Hospital? Fucking damnit. “If it isn’t Colonel Bastard.” Ed said slowly, once he had gotten his bearings.

“If it isn’t little Fullmetal.” The colonel responded in kind.

“Don’t _call_ me _little_!” Ed snapped, then winced. “I didn’t ask you to come.”

“If I hadn’t you’d be dead. And technically, the note I got had your name on it.”

“You seriously didn’t recognize my handwriting? I use my left hand! It’s terrible!”

“You have automail, don’t you?”

“Too bulky, I don’t like it.”

“Huh. Your handwriting is terrible. That _is_ what tipped me off.” Mustang turned. “You didn’t catch who those guys were working with, did you?”

“They wouldn’t tell me. Something told me they were working for a higher up in the military, but I don’t have proof. I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine, Fullmetal. You survived.”

“Ed!”

“Brother!” Al and Hawkeye were standing in the door.

“Hey Al!” Ed grinned. Al ran over, which involved a lot of clunking, and ended in a bone crushing hug. “Ow, ow, ow, ow Al, ow!”

“Oh sorry.” Al basically set him back down and stepped back.

Mustang stood and turned, grabbing a sheaf of papers. “There were three people, two former inmates, one alchemist. Lieutenant Hawkeye killed the alchemist.” A waved hand toward Hawkeye.

“Yeah, all of them were bastards,” Ed groaned. He lifted a hand to run it through his hair, then realized that it _wasn’t lifting_. Then he remembered the damage to his automail. “Uh Colonel? Can you get me to a phone?” Winry was going to kill him.


End file.
